Melanocortins are peptide products resulting from post-translational processing of pro-opiomelanocortin and are known to have a broad array of physiological activities. The natural melanocortins include the different types of melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH, β-MSH, γ-MSH) and ACTH. Of these, α-MSH and ACTH are considered to be the main endogenous melanocortins.
The melanocortins mediate their effects through melanocortin receptors (MC-Rs), a subfamily of G-protein coupled receptors. There are at least five different receptor subtypes (MC1-R to MC5-R). MC1-R mediates pigmentation of the hair and skin. MC2-R mediates the effects of ACTH on steroidogenesis in the adrenal gland. MC3-R and MC4-R are predominantly expressed in the brain. MC5-R is considered to have a role in the exocrine gland system.
The melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4-R) is a seven-transmembrane receptor. MC4-R may participate in modulating the flow of visual and sensory information, coordinate aspects of somatomotor control, and/or participate in the modulation of autonomic outflow to the heart. K. G. Mountjoy et al., Science, 257:1248–125 (1992). Significantly, inactivation of this receptor by gene targeting has resulted in mice that develop a maturity onset obesity syndrome associated with hyperphagia, hyperinsulinemia, and hyperglycemia. D. Husznar et al., Cell, 88(1): 131–41 (1997). MC4-R has also been implicated in other disease states including erectile disorders, cardiovascular disorders, neuronal injuries or disorders, inflammation, fever, cognitive disorders, and sexual behavior disorders. M. E. Hadley and C. Haskell-Luevano, The proopiomelanocortin system, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., 885:1 (1999).
Furthermore, observations in connection with endogenous MCx-R antagonists indicate that MC4-R is implicated in endogenous energy regulation. For example, an agouti protein is normally expressed in the skin and is an antagonist of the cutaneous MC receptor involved in pigmentation, MC1-R. M. M. Ollmann et al., Science, 278:135–138 (1997). However, overexpression of agouti protein in mice leads to a yellow coat color due to antagonism of MC1-R and increased food intake and body weight due to antagonism of MC4-R. L. L. Kiefer et al., Biochemistry, 36: 2084–2090 (1997); D. S. Lu et al., Nature, 371:799–802 (1994). Agouti related protein (AGRP), an agouti protein homologue, antagonizes MC4-R but not MC1-R. T. M. Fong et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 237:629–631 (1997). Administration of AGRP in mice increases food intake and causes obesity but does not alter pigmentation. M. Rossi et al., Endocrinology, 139:4428–4431 (1998). Together, this research indicates that MC4-R participates in energy regulation, and therefore, identifies this receptor as a target for a rational drug design for the treatment of obesity.
In connection with MC4-R and its uncovered role in the etiology of obesity and food intake, the prior art includes reports of compounds and compositions that act as agonists or antagonists of MC4-R. As examples, U.S. Pat. No. 6,060,589 describes polypeptides that are capable of modulating signaling activity of melanocortin receptors. Also, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,054,556 and 5,731,408 describe families of agonists and antagonists for MC4-R receptors that are lactam heptapeptides having a cyclic structure. WO 01/10842 discloses MC4-R binding compounds having a multitude of structures and methods of using such compounds to treat MC4-R associated disorders. Some of the compounds described include amidino- and guanidino-containing arenes and heteroarenes.
Other guanidine-containing compounds having a variety of biological activities are also known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,916 issued to Satoh et al. discloses guanidine compounds useful as antiulcer agents; U.S. Pat. No. 4,874,864, U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,891, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,948,901 issued to Schnur et al. and EP 0343 894 disclose guanidino compounds useful as protease inhibitors and as anti-plasmin and anti-thrombin agents; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,352,704 issued to Okuyama et al. discloses a guanidino compound useful as an antiviral agent. Guanidine-containing compounds are also disclosed in other references. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,030,985 issued to Gentile et al. discloses guanidine compounds useful for treating and preventing conditions in which inhibition of nitric oxide synthetase is beneficial such as stroke, schizophrenia, anxiety, and pain. U.S. Pat. No. 5,952,381 issued to Chen et al. discloses certain guanidine compounds for use in selectively inhibiting or antagonizing αvβ3 integrins.
Various 5-, 6-, and 7-membered fully saturated 1-azacarbocyclic-2-ylidene derivatives of guanidine are disclosed as having anti-secretory and hypoglycemic activities by U.S. Pat. No. 4,211,867 issued to Rasmussen. Such compounds are also taught as useful for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Other guanidine derivatives are disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,885,985 issued to Macdonald et al. as useful in therapy to treat inflammation.
Nevertheless, there remains a need for potent and specific agonists of MC4-R that are low molecular weight non-peptide small molecules. Methods of treating a melanocortin-4 receptor mediated disease, such as obesity, with such non-peptide drugs, are also particularly desirable.